A Tribute to Grace 'Shake Ridge Ranch' Grenache 2015, Santa Barbara

Vineyard: Shake Ridge Ranch: Sierra Foothills Varietal: 100% Grenache Harvest date: September 3rd, 2015 (moon in Aries) Alcohol: 13.8% abv Élevage: 11 months in french 220L & 500L barrique (20% new) Finishing pH: 3.68 Bottling date: August 15, 2016 (moon in Sagittarius) Release date: October1st, 2017 Total Production: 125 cases This is my fifth vintage from the Shake Ridge Ranch. Owned and farmed by the legendary Ann Kraemer, her vineyard sits atop the wonderful town of Sutter Creek in the Sierra Foothills. The immaculate parcel that houses 33 rows named grace is planted to my most beloved clone of Grenache, 362 ~ cited to originate in the Languedoc-Roussillon. There are large lumps of rose-quartz crystal throughout this block, literally reflecting the sunlight up to the grapes through rose-tinted-lenses... The 2015 vintage marked the fourth year in this ongoing Californian drought. As the search for water intensified, the clusters remained small and highly aromatic, with intensely coloured berries. Fermentation was native, with a 50% whole-cluster inclusion. I foot-tread the clusters twice daily throughout fermentation, which lasted 12 days. At dryness, I gently pressed to barrel and allowed the secondary fermentation to occur spontaneously over the winter of 2015. The wine was racked once under July’s new moon of 2016, and bottled one month later. tasting notes: Damascus rose, Rainier cherries and Holly